


And a child shall lead them.

by 3DBABE1999



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Reality, Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, Concentration Camps, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Death, Hurt Kirk, Implied Mind Rape, Implied Mpreg, Medical Experimentation, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, Mind Meld, Mind Rape, Mpreg, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slavery, Smart Kirk, Tarsus IV, Teen James T. Kirk, Vulcan Mind Melds, Young James T. Kirk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 15:29:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8996269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3DBABE1999/pseuds/3DBABE1999
Summary: A "What if Sarek and T'Pau were on Tarsus IV and a young James Tiberius Kirk saved their lives?" Fic..An AU of an AU of the AOS Timeline.Red Matter ripping holes in The Time Stream and/or Universe and/or Reality creating an Alternate Timeline, Alternate Universe and an Alternate Reality, had an impact on everything. Including how many people survived Tarsus IV and how many people witnessed Kodos order the Executions. Plus it changed things and put some Star Trek Characters on Tarsus IV who weren't on the Planet at the time of The Genocidal Massacre in The Original Timeline, Universe, Reality. This is the story of a Timeline, Universe, Reality where Sarek and T'Pau and a handful of other Vulcans (Sybock, Spock and Amanda MAY be there, I haven't decided yet) were on Tarsus IV for some kind of Peace Confrence along with a few other Federation Representatives and Individual Planetary, Regionary and House Representatives..





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This first Chapter is a more expanded Summary, Additional Warnings, a list of just some Characters that can be expected to be featured in this story and a few elaborations on Warnings, Plot, reasonings behind "what is what" and why certain things can probably be expected.

Red Matter ripping holes in The Time Stream and/or Universe and/or Reality creating an Alternate Timeline, Alternate Universe and an Alternate Reality, had an impact on everything.. Including how many people survived Tarsus IV.. Plus it changed things and put some Star Trek Characters on Tarsus IV who weren't on the Planet at the time of The Genocidal Massacre in The Original Timeline, Universe, Reality.. This is the story of a Timeline, Universe, Reality where Sarek and T'Pau and a handful of other Vulcans (Sybock, Spock and Amanda MAY be there, I haven't decided yet) were on Tarsus IV for some kind of Peace Confrence along with a few other Federation Representatives and Individual Planetary, Regionary and House Representatives. (For instance: Sarek is a Vulcan Ambassidor and Represents Vulcan as a whole, T'Pau is The Representative of her Individual House or Family as Head Matriarch of her House and Family and their are other Vulcans who also Represent their own Houses and Families and then their are even more Vulcans who might be there to Represent their Entire Region of The Planet Vulcan.. And it isn't just Vulcans, there's Andorians, Tellarites and Roylans who have come to Represent the various capacities of Their Planet, Regions and Houses and Families, there's Klingons (I know.. Wwwhhhhhaaaaaaattttt?.. Right?) they're there in the same numbers and Capacity.. There's a lot of Representatives from a lot of different Planets all gathered for this Peace Confrence..).. Why is a Peace Confrence being held on Tarsus IV of all places???.. Because in THIS, the whole Homestead Outpost Colony Planet is still a fairly new concept, Tarsus IV is only like the tenth Planet that's been taken from barren rock and made liveable.. basically.. Planets like Tarsus IV Represent a future that The Federation is striving for.. Planets where Multiple Species and Races from Multiple Planets can reside and live and co-exist in peace with the hopes that such a way of life can eventually foster peace throughout The Galaxy for all Planets and This Peace Confrence is like a celebration of the successful Colonization of Multiple Species and Races of a tenth Planet which is Tarsus IV (which has now been Colonized for five years) and which is why this Peace Confrence is being held there.. The Klingons are not a part of The Federation (yet) in this, but there is Peace Treaties and The Federation have been allowing members of the Klingon Race to live on these Homestead Outpost Colony Planets and The Klingons have been at least considering the idea of joning The Federation for some time (since Praxis was blown up by Nero and all and now they HAVE to at least consider the benefits of joining The Federation) which is why various Klingon Representatives were also invited to The Peace Confrence despite not being a part of The Federation (yet).. There's also Starfleet Personell and Representatives all over the place as well as the families who reside on the Planet... Basically it's the perfect kind of conditions for a madman with an Obsession for Eugenics (GOVERNOR KODOS) who was already on Tarsus IV and running things to commit PREMEDITATED mass murder of OR "genetic (or "medical") experiments ("tests")" on those he sees as "genetically inferrior" including anyone who is not Human. The Peace Conference is the perfect "fish in a barrell" way to kill and/or capture hundreds of Non-Humans.. And The Fungus growing on Vegitation and causing The Food Shortage is something that Kodos engineered and was already going on for some time before everyone arrived for The Peace Conference (but Kodos hid it well and lulled everyone who came for The Peace Conference into thinking everything was fine because he was keeping all evidence of the truth out of sight).. Then comes the Massacre of half of The Tarsus IV Colonists as well as the "fish in a barrell" mass killings and captures of those who came for The Peace Conference... Also.. Kodos has some lofty freaking goals.. Like Conquering The Entire Galaxy and killing anything and everything that HE deems Genetically Inferior type lofty goals..

ANYWAY 

WARNINGS: 

READ AND HEED THE WARNINGS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! 

WARNINGS: very, very, very, very, very, very, very, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, things abound aplenty in this.. Like if you think you could be the least bit Triggered and/or Offended by very, very, very, bad, bad, bad, things, as in unspeakably, unimaginably BAD things, turn away from this Fic now.. Seriously.. Dead Inside: Do Not Open.. Dead Dove: Do Not Eat.. BAD THINGS.. For real.. Just The WARNINGS themselves need Warnings.. 

If you read past THAT... You obviously have an interest in continuing on.. 

SO.. ANYWAY WARNINGS: READ AND HEED THE WARNINGS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! WARNINGS: very, very, very, very, very, very, very, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, things abound aplenty in this.. Like if you think you could be the least bit Triggered and/or Offended by very, very, very, bad, bad, bad, things, as in unspeakably, unimaginably BAD things, turn away from this Fic now.. Seriously.. Dead Inside: Do Not Open.. Dead Dove: Do Not Eat.. BAD THINGS.. For real.. Just The WARNINGS themselves need Warnings.. 

If you read past THAT... You obviously have an interest in continuing on.. 

SO.. 

BLANKET WARNING: for Anything and/or Everything (and I do mean ANYTHING and/or EVERYTHING) that could possibly be considered Triggering and/or Offensive.... INCLUDING Anything and/or Everything written in The FOLLOWING More Elaborated WARNINGS. 

WARNINGS: for GRAPHICALLY DESCRIPTIVE Cannabilism of both living and dead bodies - as in keeping a body alive and cutting bits off of them and eating those bits and keeping the person alive to cut more bits off later to eat so that "the meat don't spoil" and if that body dies then they keep eating them so that "the meat don't go to waste" (I told you so), dead babies (I really, really, really, really told you so), IT GETS GROSS as in DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME REALLY FUCKED UP AND HORRIBLE THINGS like RAPE and MURDER and CANNABILISM of all ages, genders, Races and Species, seriously no one is safe from being raped, being killed and/or being eaten (Dead OR Alive) NOT EVEN INFANTS (I seriously, seriously, really, really, really did tell you so).. Slavery, Prison Camps, DEATH CAMPS, Genetic Experimentation, Medical Experimentation, Forced Pregnancy (Sometimes caused by FORCED Genetic and/or Medical Experimentation (and always caused by Rape)..), Forced Mpreg (Caused by FORCED Genetic and/or Medical Experimentation and Rape), Forced UNDERAGE Pregnancy (Sometimes caused by Genetic and/or Medical Experimentation (and always caused by Rape)..), Forced Underaged MPreg (Caused by Genetic and/or Medical Experimentation and Rape).. Horrible experiments done on Pregnant Beings and Unborn Fetuses and Newborn INFANTS, (I really, seriously told you so...).. Genetic Tampering as in Tampering with the very Biological Structures of some Beings as in Tampering with the very DNA of a being by adding something to or taking something away from that being's Genetic Sequencing.. In other words.. very bad Scientists and Doctors playing "God".... Like there's so much bad stuff .. think about baskets of cute little fluffy puppies or kittens or cute little fluffy puppies AND kittens.. now imagine that momma cat or momma dog is so starving and desperate.. suddenly those baskets are empty and covered in blood and momma cat or momma dog is gonna either end up getting eaten herself by some starving Colonists that are somehow still alive or she's gonna wind up dying of starvation anyway even despite eating her own young, either way there's cuteness and fluffiness but that cuteness and fluffiness won't last very long because there's blood, guts, gore and death around nearly every fucking cute, fluffy corner..

VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD THINGS abound in this Story.. DO NOT SAY I DID NOT GIVE AMPLE FREAKING WARNING (See BLANKET WARNING ABOVE TO NOTE THE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS OF WARNING FOR ANYTHING AND/OR EVERYTHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE CONSIDERED TRIGGERING AND/OR OFFENSEIVE INCLUDING ANYTHING AND/OR EVERYTHING THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED TRIGGERING AND/OR OFFENSIVE IN JUST THE WARNINGS THEMSELVES!!!)!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay.. Deep Breath..

If you are still reading, please, for real, pay caution when caution is due, if you start reading and realize you're being Triggered and/or Offended and/or it's turning into something you don't like then please, please, please, stop reading..

CHARACTERS:

James Tiberius Kirk (OF COURSE he is in THIS.. It's a TARSUS IV FIC!!) he's 12 years old when he gets sent to Tarsus IV and 13-14 years old when rescue arrives (I haven't decided how long the bad stuff will last yet)

Hoshi Sato (Does she die in this??.. Read and find out.. If you dare.. *insert evil laugh here*) she's old, like ancient, but she's tough and if she's gonna go down it won't be without taking a few bad guys with her.

Sarek who is like in his mid-forties

T'Pau who is also ancient kind of old but tough

Winona Kirk (she's 42 in this)

(George) Samuel Kirk (Jr.) (he's 14 years old when Jimmy gets sent to Tarsus IV)

Captain Nechama Rabin (of The Farragut.. Due to the change in Timelines, Realities and Universes she became Captain of The Farragut before 2247)

Chancellor Gorkon (Klingon)

Azetbur (Klingon, Gorkon's daughter, she is younger than Jimmy, I'm thinking she's around 1 or 2 years old when the massacres start)

General Korrd (Klingon)

Klaa (Klingon) (about 5 to 7 years old)

Vixis (Klingon) (about 10 years old)

Shras (Andorian)

Gav (Tellarite)

St. John Talbot (Human Federation Representative)

Nero (possibly only metioned, I don't know yet if he will make an actual appearence)

Admiral Marcus

Admiral Komack

Admiral Nogura

Some.. Surprise Characters (possibly only mentioned but may make an appearance).. Well.. Kodos had to come from SOMEWHERE..

Spock, Sybock and Amanda.. are all MAYBES as in maybe, maybe two, maybe all or maybe none of the three will make it ..

Think TOS "Journey to Babel" and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country for the whole "Peace Conference" thing.. Basically.. A whole lot of beings who come together to act like they can get along but in reality mostly can't stand one another, so expect some Xenophobic type behaviors and remarks from Non-Human, Non-Terran beings as well as Human and Terran beings..

I'm going by the "born there, Citizen of" rule for a lot of explanations to things as in if a Human was born on Andoria they could officially be considered Andorian (I know that's not the "way it works" everywhere.. But considering the change in Realities, Timelines, Universes the rules of "Canon" could be changed especially considering this is an AU) or if a Human was Adopted by Klingons and got all of the proper paperwork they could be considered Klingon.. Not by Biology or DNA obviously but by "Nationality" (although there is a theory that a being who is Biologically one Race is born in a place that is not where a being of their Biology is not "usually" from then Evolution could make some slight changes to their Genetic Coding to ensure their survival or the eventual better chances of ensured survival of that being's eventual offspring.. It's like how with The Evolution of The Human Race certain traits like the existence or non-existence of a muscle in the forearm a muscle that our ancestors used to have that ensured they could hold a spear properly that some people have as a Genetic Throwback and some people don't as a process of Evolution and how one day because of Evolution no one will have that muscle anymore because our Genetics and DNA are slowly writing it out of existence.. Well.. Stuff could be written INTO our Genetics and DNA as easily as it could be written out due to Evolution to ensure the better chances of survival).. So if a child is born on Tarsus IV no matter if they are Human, Klingon, Andorian or Tellarite by DNA they could be "officially" considered "Tarsian" or "Tarsusian" or "Tarsusen" or "Tarsen" or "Tarsun".. I'm not sure which one would be better but I like the way Tarsun reads better sssooo.. Tarsun it is.. basically creating a New Planet with New Nations and New Nationalities, like on Earth or Terra there is Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French, British, etc.. people but if a person who is biologically Chinese is born in America they are also American and Chinese is still their Biological Race but American is now their Nationality.. If that makes sense.. And then there's Interspecies Relationships that result in Children such as with Sarek and Amanda having Spock and what the Evolution of two different Species combined in one being could bring about in that one being to ensure that being's survival and the eventual better chances of that being's offspring.. I guess one could call it "An Evolutionary Response" Triggered by the conditions that are going to happen on Tarsus IV and the beings on The Planet being of different Races having different Bioligies and therefore their Evolutionary Responses may react differently perhaps making some more Primal in nature while making some actually more Civilized in nature and others a mix of Primal and Civilized and so on.. Plus there is the fact that some beings may have been or might end up being Genetically Tampered with to consider when factoring in what kinds of ways that could affect their Evolutionary Responses as well as The Evolutionary Responses of those around them.

OKAY.. Now that I have given a very, very freaking lengthy as hell rundown of what can be expected and a few explanations of why certain things can be expected.. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.. For the love or hate of all things.. Remember that ONE: This is FICTION.. TWO: The Characters within are FICTIONAL.. THREE: This is an AU, not everything will be perfectly Canon Compliant.. FOUR: I gave proper and ample WARNINGS.. FIVE: It bears repeating this is FICTION, The Characters within are FICTIONAL, this is AU not everything will be perfectly Canon Compliant and I gave proper and Ample WARNINGS.. and SIX: DO NOT COME TO FLAME THIS FIC BECAUSE OF THE VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD THINGS IN THIS FIC BECAUSE I LITERALLY WARNED FOR ANYTHING AND/OR EVERTHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE CONSIDERED TRIGGERING AND/OR OFFENSIVE INCLUDING THE POSSIBLY TRIGGERING AND/OR OFFENSIVE CONTENT INSIDE JUST THE WARNINGS THEMSELVES..

For real.. I will not be kind to someone who comes to just deliberately TROLL ME .. ANY and ALL Flaming will be met with Flames of my own..

Okay.. If you are still here..

The Story Begins in the Next Chapter..


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter is where the story begins..
> 
> ~0~

~0~

When he drove that car off the cliff at the age of twelve he had, had no idea what would come next.. But he was so very certain that him getting into a lot of trouble was going to be a big part of whatever it might be... Suddenly driving fast and shouting out partial quotes from old Marlon Brando movies from the nineteen thirties ("Hey Johnny!.. It was supposed to have been "Hey Johnny! What're you rebeling against?!") to his brother as he sped past seemed like a bad idea. (He liked to live his life as if it was an old movie and he had no doubt that one day he would get into a fist fight by thinking he was Steven Segal from old twenty first century movies and calling another guy "cupcake".. But.. eh.. it is what it is.. and yeah he knows he's gonna be in deep crap with his mom.. Yep.. the driving and the shouting (partial) quotes from old movies while speeding down the road and not paying attention hadn't been his brightest move and having actually driven the car off the cliff definitely wasn't going to help matters any.)

The Android Officer had ran a check on his name..

"James Tiberius Kirk of Riverside, Iowa, Classification, Human, Twelve Terran Years Old, according to Terran Laws you are a Minor and as such your Parents or Guardians must be contacted directly before any further Lawful Actions can be taken against you."

"My mom is the only parent I have left."

"Maternal Parent, Winona Kirk, Stationed on board The U.S.S. Farragut.. Retrieving Comm Link Information.. Sending Communication.. Communication Channel Open.. Winona Kirk, Maternal Parent of James Tiberius Kirk, your Minor Offspring is being charged with Several Traffic Violations as well as Destruction of Private Property."

"Your Maternal Parent wishes to speak with you." The Android Officer held out The Comm to Jimmy.

"Jimmy, what the hell is that Droid Cop talking about?!.. Traffic Violations???.. Destruction of Private Property??.. What were you doing, kid?.. Riding your Bicycle in the middle of the road and causing Traffic Accidents?..."

"Not exactly.."

"Well you better tell me what you did, Jimmy.."

"Uncle Frank was talking about selling The Convertabile Corvette and Sam started arguing with him saying it was dad's car and that you would never be okay with him selling it and Sam was saying he was gonna call you and tell you what he was trying to do right under your nose and Frank hit him and Sam left and I.."

"Whoa.. Whoa,, Whoa!.. Frank did WHAT?!" Jimmy's mom sounded furious.

"He hit Sam.. And mom.. It wasn't the first time… Sam just never wanted to tell on him before because he knows how much being in space so you can feel close to dad means to you.. So Sam got really mad and grabbed his backpack and left.. I didn't want to be left behind but I also didn't want to just leave dad's car where Frank could just go ahead and sell it.. So.. I sorta.. Hotwired it and started speeding down the road to catch up with Sam.. I was going to stop and pick him up so he could drive but then the cop started chasing me and I knew if the cop caught me the cop would just take the car back to Frank and maybe even me too and I panicked and headed for the Drop Off by The Ship Yard .. and I.. I drove dad's car off the edge so Frank could never get his filthy hands on it ever again.."..

There was a long pause.

"Okay.. Okay.." Jimmy's mom sounded on the verge of tears. "It's okay, baby.. Where's Sam now, sweetie?"

"Still walking, he's still back a ways, he probably won't get to the turn off for Drop Off for at least another ten minutes or so."

"Jimmy.. Baby.. You said Frank has hit Sam more than once,"

"Yeah mom .. and I'm not lying I swear.."

"I know baby.. I believe you.. But.. Has he ever hit YOU, Jimmy?"

"Usually Sam stepped in to try to take the hit for me, but there was three times he .. he wasn't there.. He's hit Sam a lot more than me though, mom."

"Oh, baby.. Even hitting either of you kids just once was completely inexcusable.. Honey, give the Comm back to The Android Officer.. I'm gonna have him go pick up your brother and take both you kids to The Station.. But don't be scared, baby, it's all gonna be okay now.. Frank's never gonna hurt either of you ever again.. Mommy's coming to get you both.. I'll be there soon, I love you."

"Love you too, mom." Jimmy replied before handing the Comm back to The Android Officer.. "My mom wants to talk to you again."..

~0~

Frank really is the boys's Uncle despite how Sam feels about it.. Frank is Winona's brother-in-law and despite the passing of her sister, Frank is still technically family.. The Grade-A-Asshole still lived in the house that her sister Tessa left him in her Will and when she had been called back out to space and Frank had offered to keep the boys with him so that the boys wouldn't have to be taken out of a school they were used to and had friends at, well, Winona had taken him up on the offer to leave not only the boys with him but a few of hers and George's Possessions that she couldn't exactly take on a Starship as the Lease to The Apartment she had been staying at with the boys would be up after she was already in the Black and The Apartment Complex had a Policy that all Lease Renewals had to be done in person and she couldn't exactly Renew her Lease in person from Space.. According to the Apartment Complex's rigidity on that Policy not even a Live Communication and faxing all of the Required Paperwork in would have worked, and when she had accepted Frank's offer she hadn't thought much of it because Frank was Tessa's husband so of course he had helped out too when Tessa had watched over the boys..

She almost couldn't believe Frank had, had the AUDACITY to ever lay a hand on her sons, causing one to finally get fed up and try to run away and the other to drive a car off of a cliff because of, fear and panic and Jimmy could say that he was just trying to keep the car away from Frank, but she had watched The Video caught from The Mandatory Recording Device that all cops have to wear on them while on Duty whether they were Androids or not, she had watched it as she talked on the Comm with Jimmy after he had told her he drove off of a cliff (technology means the ability to access something like that instantly with the right Authorization and she had the right Authorization as Jimmy's mom since he was a Minor and she had a right to review all evidence against him and she couldn't not access it the second her youngest child told her he resorted to driving a car off of a mother-fucking cliff), and she had seen how her youngest son, her baby, had almost went over the edge with the car too and she knows that at least some part of Jimmy had almost gone over that edge too, not for the sake of keeping Frank from getting his hands on the car but because her baby had been terrified of what might happen if Frank were to get his hands on HIM and she has no idea how to deal with the fact that her baby had almost committed suicide to avoid the potential of more physical abuse and she had known without a doubt that Jimmy wasn't lying when they said that Frank was an abusive bastard..

She wants to rip Frank to shreds for what he's done to her boys.. She wants to rip herself to shreds for leaving her boys in a situation where they were abused..

~0~

Back when Jimmy and Sam were still small she had been able to take them on "milk runs" out into The Black with her.. After all, Starfleet was trying to Present a more "family friendly" face to the entire Federation, and the Starships were being built and outfitted to show that side of them, with Saucer Sections that could detach from The Nacelles in the event of an Emergency to get any Civilians (Mostly Spouses and Children of Members of Starfleet) away from the danger.. She wishes that Starfleet had built ships with such designs twelve years earlier.. Maybe George would still be alive if they had.

But on longer Missions and/or on Older Starships that didn't have the new Designs where she really just could not take her sons, she had either left them in Riverside in the care of her sister Tessa before she got sick or she would leave them in a Childcare Facility in San Francisco that was built especially for the Children of Starfleet Members to stay in when their Parents could not take them into Space with them, it was a Facility that people she knew and trusted ran, but having her boys stay there meant disrupting their learning and taking them out of a school they liked and had friends at to enroll them (however temporarily) at the Private School in San Francisco where all the other Children of Starfleet went to school when they stayed at The Child Care Facility there. And the boys hated both The Childcare Facility and The Private School because one of Starfleet's favorite Subjects to talk about was Starfleet History which always led to the very sore subject of their father's death and both her boys had said they just wanted to stay and live and go to school in a place that didn't keep talking about how their dad died as if it was something they could so easily forget and constantly needed to be reminded about, like "Don't forget your backpack.. Don't forget how your dad died... Don't forget your lunch.. Don't forget how your dad died.. Don't forget you have a Spelling Test tomorrow.. Don't forget how your dad died." or at least that's what Sam had said it had felt like when people at both The Childcare Facility and The Private School constantly talked about it to him and Jimmy and Winona had tried to use The Childcare Facility and Private School in San Francisco only as a Last Resort..

Over the years so many people have suggested she just quit her job and become a stay at home mom permanently and live off of the money George's death left behind.. Those people constantly implying that she chooses not to give up working in Starfleet because she wants to avoid the responsibility of raising her sons or that she chooses not to give up working in Starfleet because she wants to go to Space to feel close to her dead husband no matter what it does to her relationship with her sons.

Those people don't know jack and/or shit and she'd seriously appreciate it if people stopped filling her kids's heads with that crap because now even Sam and Jimmy were starting to think like that.

Had everyone literally just forgotten that Signing on with Starfleet meant SIGNING ON WITH STARFLEET?... Had everyone literally just forgotten that going to Starfleet Academy is the exact same as going to West Point Academy except going to Starfleet Academy means that you're training to go on a Starship instead of a Seafairing ship? A Contract was a Contract and where they say you go and when they say you go, is when and where you go because THAT'S the Contract just because Starfleet isn't a Military Orginization, those Military Ranks, Commissions, Compensations and Medals still weren't just for show, if she tried to just up and quit before her Contract was up they would declare her AWOL which could and probably most definitely would land her in a cell (and then where would that leave her boys when Starfleet came down on her and threw her in prison?) and she had signed that Contract before she had ever thought about getting married and having kids and her Contract wouldn't be up for almost another five years. And that money George's death left behind?.. All of those Death Benefits she got when he died?.. That shit was used up before Jimmy had even turned six years old, she hadn't even been able to save any back for the boys to one day go to any College they wanted, the way she had wanted to, because six weeks was all she had gotten for Maternity Leave after Jimmy was born and another four weeks was all she had gotten for Bereavement Leave before Starfleet was calling her back to Duty because the cold hearted Bureaucratic Bastards had said that the Six Weeks Maternity Leave also counted as part of the Ten Week Total for Bereavement Leave.. And she had begged for some kind of Assignment, any kind of Assignment that would keep her Planetside for her sons.. But she had, had to have the mother-fucking lofty ass goals to be one of the best Engineers in Starfleet when she had been just a young dumb kid starting out as a Recruit before she had ever even met George and she had ended up realizing much too late what sort of prices she would have to pay and what all she would be made to sacrifice because of a Contract she signed when she had been a young and Naive kid with big dreams and the fact that she had excelled at her job from the get go (which she STILL had to excel at her job because sometimes when the ship she was on was in some sort of danger of blowing up for whatever reason, excelling at her job was all that kept her alive so that she could keep coming home to her boys every single time she got to go Planetside).. So all of that money had ended up going towards paying for that very expensive Private Schooling (oh, Starfleet lets people think that Starfleet itself pays to send the children of their personnel to that very expensive private school.. and Starfleet does.. for Cadets who already had kids when they signed on and for anyone who has a Rank that’s lower than Lieutenant… The second a person gets actual Officer Stripes on their Uniforms they’re S.O.L. because that “free” tuition to that Private School disappears.. But because Starfleet has a Contract with the school any Starfleet Personnel with schoolaged kids that are staying in San Fran have to either send their kids to THAT school or have them homeschooled (which they’d also have to pay for themselves) which Winona and a few others think is a bunch of bullshit, pardon her French) whenever she had, had to leave her boys in San Francisco or it had gone to Tessa to pay her for watching over her sons and keeping them fed or it had gone to help pay for Tessa's Cancer Treatments when the doctors had wanted to try something experimental that wasn't covered by her Medical Insurance.. And yes.. Going to Space did help her feel closer to George.. But so did spending time with her sons because no matter what, in reality THEY were the most important part of him that she still had left and as awesome as going into Space was and as much as it helped her feel close to George, going into Space still couldn't beat being with her sons.

Eleven more months and this Mission would be over and she'd get to be Planetside again and get to spend a whole five months with her boys until the next Mission that Starfleet would call her out on would begin.. Then there'd be eight months where she'd have to be away from her boys again if Starfleet deemed she couldn't take them out with her for whatever reason (her being one of the best Engineers in Starfleet meant that more often than not they were putting her on ships that were going out on what would be more dangerous Missions where a good Engineer would be an invaluable asset and those kinds of Missions were never "family friendly" and thus more often than not Starfleet would deny her request to bring her young sons with her, the only times when Starfleet had permitted her request in the past were in the exceedingly rare events that they had sent her on Missions where the chances for danger were low and were a perfect way to use her and her sons's loss of George as a playup for various Recruitment Ads and those days were all but over now that her boys were older so she doubted she'd get any Missions where she could actually take them out with her anytime soon).. And the cycle would go on and on.. She still had four years (eight months and sixteen days) of this crap left to go and do not let anyone tell you otherwise she was counting down the days till she'd be free from Starfleet and able to Retire and collect a steady Pension plus Retirement and be able to stay at home with her boys permanently and still have enough money to keep a roof over her sons's heads and food in the bellies...

Four more years (eight months and sixteen days) and then freedom from work with the security of still getting a steady paycheck.

That was the goal, that was the dream.

And fuck no she would not be Renewing her Contract when it finally came to an end!..

But for right now.. she was stuck not knowing what to do because her Mission still had eleven months left to go.. And yes, she was able to take a Shuttle and come to Earth to take care of things because this is a Family Emergency and she hasn't worked her ass off over the years without getting at least some kind of clout and leadway or without having several people "owing her one"..

But.. She couldn't stay.. In fact she had a limited amount of time to figure out where to send her sons as she couldn't take them out with her, not on this Mission at least..

And she didn't want to send her boys to a place where they'd constantly be reminded of their father's death unless she found herself with absolutely no other options.

So what if she got a little desperate and started calling all of her most trusted friends and asking them if they can look after her sons for the next eleven months while she's in Space? She's doing the best she can and doing her best to be as good of a mom as possible... But there's a part of her that feels invisible, inescapable walls closing in because even if she finds someone to help look after her boys this time around there's no guarantee that she'll be able to find someone to help look after them the next time around and if she can't then what is she gonna do? Sam's only fourteen after all and he won't be old enough to look after Jimmy on his own for at least another eighteen months but she doesn't want to ever put the responsibilities of that on Sam's shoulders. Although it's clear that Sam has already had weight of that kind on his shoulders with doing his best to keep Frank from hitting Jimmy whenever possible even if it meant sometimes taking the hits himself.. Winona never wanted either of her sons to feel like they had to carry that kind of weight ever again..

She was so relieved when she called up one of her best friends, someone who had been one of her biggest sources of comfort and support after George died, her friend, a woman her sons called Aunt Sassy, said that she would be more than happy to help with her boys (and she had also expressed how she wished she could murder Frank after Winona had talked about why she was in such urgent need of someone to look after her sons).. Then that bubble of relief was popped when Namaiki (it means Sassy or Cheeky in Japanese and go figure that her little Jimmy had figured that out at only two hence dubbing Namaiki as "Aunt Sassy" from then on) had told her that she was off world on one of The Outpost, Homestead, Colony Planets to help her elderly Great-Aunt Hoshi out..

"Oh.. Namaiki.." Winona felt like crying again (she had been crying a lot ever since finding out she had unwittingly left her sons with an abusive asshole).. "One of the reasons I haven't already just taken them to San Francisco is because I don't want to take them out of a school they actually like and have friends at."

"Ah.. So you're wanting to hold out for someone who could come to Riverside to watch them while you're away.."

"Yeah.. Namaiki, I'm so sorry for calling and wasting your time then practically snubbing your offer.."

"Oh, no, no, hun.. Don't do that to yourself.. Both you and your boys have every right to be picky about where they go to school.. Especially since I know one of the other reasons you don't just take them to San Francisco is because of how almost everyone there constantly talks about how George died the second they think the boys are in ear shot."

"Yeah.. The Kirk name is too recognizable and the boys suffer through so many people either talking about George and how they morn or grieve his death when SAM and JIMMY are the ones that lost him or worse.. comparing them to George because of their last name."

"Well.." Namaiki let her words tentatively taper off "The one good thing I could promise you if you can't find anyone else and have to send them out to me is that no one here would have to know they're Kirks besides me and Aunt Hoshi.. At school and around town they could just go by their Initials.. J.T. for Jimmy and S.K. for Sam.. The only kid in the school closest to Hoshi's house that even even knows anyone in Starfleet is my ten year old cousin Amai. All the other kids related to Members of Starfleet all go to the schools closer to the centers of The Colonies, the school nearest to us is basically just a run of the mill country school for all the Homesteaders' kids.. Hell.. They'd be less likely to hear other kids talking about George in the school they'd go to here than they'd be even at the school the go to in Riverside.. And you know that neither Hoshi nor I would trample on Sam's or Jimmy's feelings by constantly reminding them how their dad died like it's nothing more than a pair of mittens they might accidentally forget about if they're not constantly reminded to keep track of them... So.. Please.. Winona.. At least think on sending them here before you fall on the last resort of sending them to San Francisco.. I know having them on another Planet isn't ideal and that at the very least sending them to San Francisco would be keeping them on Earth.. But Hoshi and I have room to spare here, the school will be different than the ones they're at least used to, yes, but there won't be any reminders of their dad's death every time they turn a corner .. and.. you know how much Hoshi and I love those boys, we'd both consider it an honor to look after them for you while you're on Mission.. We've been best friends for more than a decade Winnie.. Please at least consider letting me do this for you before you send them to San Francisco."

"Okay.." Winonan felt extremely grateful "You're right.. After what Frank did, I really would feel more comfortable if someone who actually cared about my boys were to look after them and I really think they'd hate me and feel like I was just ditching them if I sent them to The Childcare Facility and The Private School in San Francisco.. Plus.. Jimmy always has wanted to explore another Planet.. He'd think it was such a big adventure."

"They're you go, hun... That's the spirit!!.. And.. Winnie.. Those boys could never hate you.. Sure.. Maybe they could in that way that all teenagers eventually come to "hate" their parents.. But that's just a phase that'll pass.. They could never really hate you because deep down they know you're doing your best.. Yes, this thing with Frank was truly horrible and right now both of them might blame you and resent you and be angry with you but somewhere inside them they know that this wasn't your fault and that if you had known sooner what an asshole Frank was he never would have even had a chance to hurt them because you would have killed him first... I know it doesn't feel like it right now, hun.. But your boys do love you .. and.. they also know that you love them."

"Thanks, Namaiki.. I really needed to hear that." Winona wiped her eyes, her Shutle was finally landing in Riverside and from the Landing Zone she'd have to take a cab to the Riverside Police Station. "I can't tell you how much you doing this means to me.. Thank you, so, so, so much."

"That's what best friends are for, Winnie. Plus you'll also sort of be doing me a favor too by sending the boys out here."..

"How so?" Winona asked with a watery chuckle.

"Having other kids Amai's age around could help keep her from tearing Uncle Isamu's and Aunt Rei's house apart out of sheer boredom.. Everybody in the Sato family complex tries to help keep her entertained but she's ten and the rest of the Sato family that's in the Colony are a bunch of old fogies besides me and her parents."

"Hey! I'm not an old fogie!" Winona could hear Hoshi's playful shout at Namaiki.

"You're over a hundred years old Aunt Hoshi, that's the very definition of old fogie!" Namaiki shouted back just as playfully.

"I may be over a hundred years old but I can still run circles around you any day of the week!" Hoshi's voice could be heard yelling back.

Namaiki laughed "Okay, the rest of the Sato family here besides me, Amai, Amai's parents and Aunt Hoshi are a bunch of old fogies.. Is that better, Aunt Hoshi?"

"Much better." Hoshi replied victoriously and Namaiki chuckled again.

"Sorry about that, Winnie. Anyway.. As I was saying, the boys being here would give Amai other kids to hang out with." Namaiki stated sounding like she was still amused from joking around with Hoshi.

Winona let out a relived sounding chuckle "Glad I could help out.. I better go... I still have to call a cab to go pick up the boys.. But as soon as I go get them, I'll call you back to make all the preparations and arrangements."

"Okay, Winnie, talk to you then."

"And, again, Namaiki.. Thank you so very much for doing this for me especially on such short notice."

"Oh, honey.. There's no need to thank me.. You and the boys are like family."

"You are such a sweetheart, Namaiki."

"Well.. Only sometimes... I didn't get a name that means Sassy for nothing after all." Namaiki stated with a wink and a laugh. "Now hang up and call a cab to take you to your boys already."

"Yes, Ma'am." Winona laughed, Namaiki always could bring light to the darkest situations. "Talk to you in a little bit."

~0~

The second she walked through the doors of The Riverside Police Department Jimmy launched himself off of the bench he and Sam were sitting on and straight into his mom's open arms "Momma, I'm sorry about dad's car." her little Jimmy was crying "I didn't know what else to do and I wasn't thinking."

"Oh.. Sweetie.. I don't care about the car." At Jimmy's doubtful look she continued "Yes, it was your dad's and yes it was special.. But you and Sam both are more special and more important to me than any car could ever be.. And I am just so, so very glad that you're away from Frank and I promise you that monster will never be able to hurt neither you or Sam ever again."

Her Sammy had grown a couple inches in just the few months since she had last seen him but he was thinner, almost gaunt and stretched like he hadn't been eating properly, she squeezed Jimmy in the guise of another hug and confirmed her suspicions that Jimmy was also thinner than when she had last seen both of her sons only Jimmy's lost weight was easily covered by the baggy hand-me-downs of Sam's old shirt and shorts that he was wearing along with the layer of baby fat that still clung to his face and made him look a little plumper than he actually was.

She was absolutely going to murder Frank if she so much as ever saw his face again.

She tried not to feel hurt when Sam just stayed where he was and made no move to approach her, she got it, right now her oldest felt betrayed and abandoned and she couldn't blame him one bit.

She gave him a tentative "come here" wave trying to include him in hers and Jimmy's reunion hug.

Sam just stayed sitting on the bench, crossing his arms over his chest and letting his mouth thin out into a straight line of anger.

So.. Her Sammy clearly wasn't going to let her off so easy anytime soon.. That was okay, she wasn't going to be letting herself off easy anytime soon either...

Thank goodness for Jimmy's abundantly forgiving nature or both her sons would be hating her right now.

But Jimmy seemed to let go of any resentment or anger towards her that he may have been holding (if her Jimmy had ever had any at all) and was content to forgive her of all of her sins as soon as she walked through those doors.

Winona hoped that Jimmy's forgiving nature would hold strong when she told both of her sons that she couldn't stay and had to send them off somewhere else (yet again) until she got to have Leave Time again.

It was hard watching Jimmy's happiness become a closed off look of resignation.. She knew her baby had hoped for her to stay Planetside for good this time around, had hoped that her bosses wouldn't make her go back out and leave them again.. One look at Sam told her that Sam had, had no such hopes and she didn't know which one made her feel worse to crush the hopes of her youngest or that her oldest was past the point of caring about her enough to hope even just a little that she could stay.

She had her work cut out for her when it came to earning back Sam's love and trust and it felt like Sammy was slipping through her fingers like she was already losing him.. Like no matter what she might do or try would never be good enough ever again because Sam had already made up his mind to hate her.

It was times like this that she hated Starfleet and she hoped neither of her boys ever got roped in by the tempting words of some Recruiter and got talked into or dared into joining Starfleet, she wanted them both to have a chance at more in life than just being stuck inside a Starship and being ferreted all over The Galaxy for either some boring Star Charting, Some boring schmoozing of Planet Dignitaries or Some really not boring life and death situations that tended to happen on a near weakly basis for some ships and at any given moment for all of the people who might be unfortunate enough to be wearing a Red Shirt.

She tried giving them her best “the place I’m sending you guys to is gonna be so much fun!” look as she tells them both about Namaiki’s offer.

“Aunt Sassy!! Really!” Jimmy sounded so excited “Can we go, mom, PLEASE?!.. We haven’t seen Sassy in forever!”

“I don’t know..” Winona made herself sound mock sceptical “It depends on how Sam feels about it… Sam?.. What do YOU think?.. Do you want to go hang out with your Aunt Sassy till I can get off this Mission?”

Sam gave an irritated huff “I don’t know why you don’t just drop us off with someone and leave us there permanently..”

Oh wow.. He was giving her some additude.. And wow.. yeah it hurt like hell because she felt like she deserved each and every little bit of it..

“Because this Mission only has eleven months left..” She was hoping her eldest child would understand that she was trying her best until Sam interrupted her again letting her know that he didn't understand or didn't WANT to understand.

“And then you’ll get what?.. Five months to spend with us before you have to go back out again for another eight months?.. Yeah.. getting bounced back and forth to the places you’re desperate enough to leave us in just so you can get back to your precious stars will give us tons of stability and security.. It’d be so much better if you just picked a place to leave us and actually stuck with it.”

Winona pinched the bridge of her nose.. She understood Sam’s anger.. Hell not even half an hour ago she was getting onto herself about some of the same kinds of crap Sam was yelling at her over..

“It’s not as easy as you think.. Not everyone can commit themselves to watching over someone else’s kids for that long..”

“Oh kind of like YOU can’t commit to watching over even your own kids for that long?” Sam shot back before Winona could finish speaking.

“Look.. I get it.. You’re pissed.” Winona was trying to convey that she understood, even agreed with why Sam was angry.

“Oh yeah.. Very..” Sam retorted.

“I didn’t know about what was happening with Frank, I swear.. Hell, I still don’t really know the full story of what happened.”

“It’s not about Frank.. I mean.. Yeah.. I guess it is a little.. But mostly.. It’s about every single other time before.. I’m tired of feeling like something you can come home to, love on for a little while then discard only to come home to and love on again only at your convenience.. We’re not toys you can love for a little while only to keep shelving us every time you feel like leaving again.” And wow.. That hurt for Winona to hear.

“It’s not that I feel like leaving, Sam.. I have to.. I am literally under Contract to go when they say go until my Contract is finally up.”

“Yeah and by then I’ll already be over eighteen.. Tell me what good does having you for a parent do for me when you haven’t been around for more than half of my childhood and what good does it do me that when you’ll finally have enough time to stick around and raise me I’ll already legally be an adult?...”

Winona flinched back at that.. Yeah.. Sam had a point there..

“Well then.. What do you want to do Sam?”

“It’s not a matter of what I want to do.. It’s what I am going to do.. One way or another.. I applied to The Science Corps Academy's Campus in Des Moines.. They take anyone fourteen Terran years old and up, so long as they have the grades to get in and a Guardian’s signature… I obviously have the grades and I was able to get the signature because Frank might have been a real bastard, but if he was on that cusp between just drunk enough and too drunk then he would sign anything we shoved under his nose. He also signed off on all my applications for Scholarships, Housing and Meals.. I’m already accepted and everything.. I was gonna stick it out here in Riverside until November when the Second Nine Weeks started so that I could make sure Jimmy would be okay.. But then the whole thing with the car happened and then Frank hit me for like the millionth time and I had just freaking had it up to here (at this Sam waved his right hand angrily about a foot above his head), enough was enough.. I was gonna just leave and go to the Science Corps early since I'd still be in time for the start of the First Term and then I was gonna call someone to look in on Jimmy for me because I knew it’d be a while before you even remembered to Comm Frank’s house without someone Comm’ing you first to remind you.. but then Jimmy took the car and drove it off a cliff and now here we are.. You can still send Jimmy off to Aunt Namaiki but I'm going to Des Moines, and there's no stopping me because even if you manage to shove me kicking and screaming onto a shuttle bound for Aunt Namaiki's I'll just run away and hop on the first shuttle back to Iowa and make my way to The Science Corps Academy's Campus in Des Moines anyway.”

"Okay.. Wow.." Winona replied with a defeated sigh "Yeah.. Yeah.. Okay.. So.. Yeah.. You're already accepted and everything.. and you clearly put a lot of thought and planning into it.. so.. yeah.. I guess I have to let you go.. Jimmy.. How do you feel about going by yourself to see your Aunt Sassy on Tarsus IV while Sam stays here on Earth to go to The Science Corps Academy?"

"You mean I'd get to go on a shuttle to another Planet all by myself?!" Jimmy asked excitedly and at Winona's nod Jimmy gave a victorious fist pump "Yes!!!" he replied excitedly.

Winona signed her sons out from the Police Station as due to the Extenuating Circumstances and the fact that no one had gotten hurt during Jimmy's joy ride save for Jimmy himself, there wouldn't be any Charges brought against Jimmy, he was being let go with just a warning.

After she got them out of the Police Station she took them both to a doctor and had them both looked over to see just how much damage Frank had done to her boys and just how much damage that Jimmy had done to himself which she blamed Frank for because it was his fault that her twelve year old had resorted to such desperate measures in the first place.

Then she let Namaiki know about the slight change in plans.

Sam would stay in Iowa and live on Campus at The Science Corps Academy in Des Moines and Jimmy would be going to Tarsus IV alone...

~0~


End file.
